\u00a9 2021 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. Political cartoons, for example, appear in newspapers across the country everyday, but they cannot be "read" in the same way as editorials and other articles. Keep yourself informed on current events in order to more clearly understand contemporary political cartoons. Ethos: An ethical appeal meant to demonstrate the author’s legitimacy as someone who can comment on the issue. By examining the image and text elements of the cartoon, you can start to understand its deeper message and evaluate its effectiveness. ", "The pictures are very descriptive and make it a little easier to understand. In addition, as irony, caricature, and stereotyping are other common strategies utilized by political cartoonists, you should make a note of them when and if they are used. This political cartoon depicts John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company as a suffocating octopus. If you’re analyzing a historical political cartoon, take its time period into account. Political cartoons are oftentimes meant to be funny and occasionally disregard political correctness. is one of the most reproduced and mimicked American political cartoons. If you find conflicting interpretations, do not be afraid to investigate the matter further. Logos: A rational appeal that uses logical evidence to support an argument, like facts or statistics. This Political Cartoon depicts the effects of the Mexican War on the Mexican Eagle, which represents the Mexicans as a nation. What do some of the images or symbols in the cartoon suggest? Panels are separated by gutters, which are white gaps. Daily Political Cartoon. You can create any editorial cartoon you like, using it in as many creative and strategic ways you can dream of We all know how quickly the news can change. Can you identify any common symbols? What questions have you been unable to answer about the cartoon and where might you go for more information? For example, a political cartoon in a more conservative publication will convey a different message, and use different means of conveying it, than one in a liberal publication. Review the Political Cartoon Analysis Assignment and Rubric. Nast's cartoon entitled Who Stole the People's Money? wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Not surprisingly, many of the issues featured in these cartoons are still being debated today. Pathos: An emotional appeal that tries to engage the reader on an emotional level. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. Do the people and objects in the cartoon adequately represent the issue. It depends on what view you are showing. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. The frame is the border around a panel, which is where almost everything in a cartoon happens. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 485,672 times. by Jenna Fenton. As you go from the left to the right, each panel usually shows a moment later in time. The effectiveness of allusions often diminishes over time, as people forget about the trends or events. Is there any text and, if so, what does it say? How is the subject matter portrayed (i.e. US News is a recognized leader in college, grad school, hospital, mutual fund, and car rankings. Does it use appropriate and meaningful symbols and words to convey a viewpoint? For example, a cartoon about voting might include a voting ballot with political candidates and celebrities, indicating that more people may be interested in voting for celebrities than government officials. The view might be complex, but do your best to parse it out. Maybe that something in the comic is dying, outdated and should be left for dead or dead. Try another answer... Not quite! Although it might be tempting to assume that you have finished your work once you have described the image and placed it in its historical context, by looking more closely at the cartoon you can uncover hidden meanings that you missed when answering more basic questions. Political Cartoons for the Classroom Promoting Critical Analysis of Current Events, Law, and Social Issues A project of the Citizenship Law Related Education Program for the Schools of Maryland 520 West Fayette Street ♦ Baltimore, Maryland 21201 410.706.5360 ph ♦ www.clrep.org ♦ 410.706.5576 fax By using our site, you agree to our. Get Started Although it focuses specifically on political cartoons, some of the concepts it examines could be applied to other non-textual sources as well. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. We've been helping billions of people around the world continue to learn, adapt, grow, and thrive for over a decade. Working with primary sources like cartoons, drawings, paintings, and photographs can sometimes prove to be challenging, particularly if you have little experience analyzing images. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Long-standing personifications and visual symbols for countries were used by cartoonists to dramatize events to suit their message. Although the step-by-step approach detailed on the site is fairly general, it can certainly be adapted (see below) to the specific study of political cartoons. Almost all cartoons, even those that are not overtly so, are political. Source(s): https://shorte.im/bbt84. A political cartoon of the Southern states being built from the ruins after the Civil War. Political cartoon from 1846 depicting U.S. Pres. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Chappatte’s elegant, crosshatched style is polite but trenchant, a perfect political cartoon. Political cartoons use imagery and text to comment on a contemporary social issue. Not all political cartoons can be found in color, so this political cartoon, found in Puck magazine on September 7, 1904 and done by Udo Keppler, is one that caught my eye immediately while researching robber barons and captains of industry of the late 1800s/early 1900s. wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. For example, a caption or label in the cartoon might cite statistics like the unemployment rate or number of casualties in a war. Title: Plucked or, The Mexican eagle before the war! Why, ultimately,did he or she create it? What is it about? Do some background research and see if the themes and events seem to connect to what you saw in the cartoon. If you are still having trouble getting started, it may also be helpful to utilize the SCIM-C Technique. In order to determine where the image fits in your research you should examine how it is both similar to and different from your other sources and why. “Join, or Die” is recognized as the first political cartoon published in America. The answers to these types of questions bring you closer to answering larger historical questions that you might have about the cartoon or its subject. References Then, look for popular symbols, like Uncle Sam, who represents the United States, or famous political figures. % of people told us that this article helped them. Read on for another quiz question. What does it mean when in a political cartoon it shows graveyards? Rather, like many political cartoons, it is a moral judgement call on the event being depicted. I wouldn’t blame them. "I teach civics and political cartoons are one of my standards, so I found this to really help my students. Teacher/author. Political Cartoon Analysis: Historical and Current Event and the Rhetorical Precis (English) Directions: History Objective: Analyze “cartoon-of-the-week” assigned by history teacher as evidence to help respond to the “prompt of the week” (from the era you are currently studying in history class). If you are for their response, you might show the protesters with weapons and damaging buildings, signs, etc., while police stand by in an orderly fashion and try to defend themselves. You must consider the perspective of the source’s creator as well as its original audience in order to ensure your interpretation is historically sound. Tweed and Erie Rings Playing Blindman's Bluff. It definitely means death in some form. To make a good authentic cartoon, it's less about how well you can draw, and more about how well you can convey the message using analogy, irony, exaggeration, labeling and symbolism. Political … ", "I really liked this. For example, a person in a suit might be labeled “Congress,” or a briefcase might be labeled with a company’s name. Nope! It looks healthy and is perched atop a cactus, facing east, which is the direction from the Americans came. This political cartoon is about the US and Mexico trying to make a compromise on where the border that separates them should be.They decided to put the border at the Rio Grande River for Texas.By putting the border their the US gained most of California,New Mexico,Nevada,Wyoming,Colorado, and Texas. Many political cartoonists will include caricatures of well-known politicians, which means they’ll exaggerate their features or bodies for humor, easy identification, or to emphasize a point. If possible, you should try to recognize not only the strategies themselves but also how these strategies are being used. What date was the paper issued? Once you’ve identified the main point, look for subtle details that create the rest of the story. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. It is one of my favourites – concise, well composed and straight to the point. They, "As a political cartoonist myself I hope this will help others understand my work, which can be quite abstruse at, "Helps to understand use of figurative language in drawings; for example, simile and hyperbole. Who drew the cartoon and in what newspaper did it appear? Does it have a clear message or agenda? This might be shown through the author’s byline, which could say something like, “by Tim Carter, journalist specializing in economics.”. For tips on understanding and recognizing persuasive techniques used in illustration, read on! This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Was this kind of stereotype the norm for this time? Despite this, a number of non-textual resources contain a wealth of information that could help us find answers to important historical questions. Chappatte is a Lebanese-Swiss cartoonist who draws for the International New York Times and has taken a suitably lofty perspective in this cartoon. The Americans infiltrated a guerrilla camp and captured Aguinaldo. Similarly, you should always remember that, while cartoons can tell you a lot about prevalent attitudes, emotions, and political ideologies from the period in which they were created, they do NOT necessarily reflect the “Truth” about the situations or people they depict. My daily political cartoon feature will offer visitors new cartoons that pertain to politics, politicians and political issues on a national or world wide basis. knew what to look for in their political cartoon that they brought to class. For example, an anti-war cartoon might portray the soldiers as heroes, but the government ordering them into battle as selfish or wrong. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/29\/Analyze-Political-Cartoons-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Analyze-Political-Cartoons-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/29\/Analyze-Political-Cartoons-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/aid195213-v4-728px-Analyze-Political-Cartoons-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"